1,500 jobs at Heathrow Airport have been securedahead of a proposed £172.5 million takeover of bmi by parent group BritishAirways.

The jobs of 1,100 cabin crew, pilots and engineers at Heathrow and up to 400 passenger service roles at Heathrow's Terminal One are safe, but 1,200 positions at regional airports and bmi's head office at Castle Donington in Derbyshire are facing the axe.

BA has opened consultations with unions on proposals to integrate the bmi business into its operations at Heathrow Airport. The company says without the acquisition, all 2,700 jobs at bmi could have been lost.